If ever there was a true sorority in the world of ideas, it must have been in the field of quilt making. Women, all over the world, took up the responsibility of providing everybody with the warmth against the cold, harsh winter. True, over time, some men joined into foray, but their numbers were never very significant. Hence, Niaz Zaman, in her book, " The Art of Kantha Embroidery," stated that kantha making is an "women's art".

Bengal kantha making is a little different from other quilting artistry. The material is different, so is the stitching method. From a very long time, Bengal cotton and silk have been known in the world market for its finesse and quality. Bengal "muslin" was an item of export even at Perecles's time. When such beautiful creations were worn and old, Bengal women did not see any reason to throw them away. Beautiful sari borders (the everyday dress of Bengali women)were preserved , the soft dhotis (men's clothes) were placed layer upon layer and stitched encased in sari borders. Thus started the first recycling art of the world. The stitching patterns of Bengal kanthas are simple, but it can be very intricate depending on the inclination of the kantha maker.

Bengal kantha makers reflect their traditions in choosing their designs. The Hindu kantha makers would tend to choose from religious motifs, like gods and goddesses, the "alpanas" representing lotus flower, conch shells, various birds and beast like peacock, parrots, elephants, lion, tiger, whereas the Muslim women are usually restricted to geometrical designs and plants and flowers. Within that restriction, they are able to create wonderful artifacts in "jainamaz kantha," "dastarkhan," or "gilaf embroidery."

In Bengal, kanthas were originally used as baby's diapers, or wrappers. At present day, due to the high cost of hand crafted materials, kantha making for the baby's diaper is not cost effective at all. However, in the early seventies, there had been a revival in kantha art in both the Bengals. Sreelata Sirkar derived inspiration from Pratima Devi of Santiniketan and started designing kanthas for team work. Thus, she not only revived a dying art, but also made room for a great economic activity for West Bengal women. In Bangladesh, the search for a national identity led to a great kantha revival, where the Muslim women artists broke the earlier taboo of not representing human and animal figures in kantha. Now the Bangladeshi artists design fantastic tapestries, one like "Naksi kanthar math" after the narration of the poet Jasimuddin. Now both the Bengals have perfected the art of kantha making with infusions of new materials, concept in design, and various stitcheries, and it can be safely said that these days, it is as popular as woven designs in saris, dresses and upholsteries.

The earliest mention of Bengal Kantha is found in the book, "Sri Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita" by Krishnadas Kaviraj which was written some five hundred years back. There the poet says, Sachi, the mother of Chaitanya, sent a homemade kantha to her son at Puri through some pilgrims. The same kantha still can be viewed in Gambhira, at Puri, displayed in a glass case. The second earliest reference is in Zaman's book about the famous artist Abanindranath Tagore, who seemed to have encountered a woman in a village in a district of Srihatta of Bangladesh, who recorded her life story in her kantha spanning a period starting from her marriage to old age. However, the present revival of kantha art has drawn the ire of some pundits who think that kantha art can be meaningful only when plied at the privacy of a home, by a single person. If the art is brought out into a factory and embroidered as team work, the soul of kantha gets lost! Anyway, such criticism has not been able to minimize the present spirit of teamwork effort which has uplifted homely kantha into a beautiful artifact besides engendering much sought economic well being. The only argument that can be made here, may be, that a real kantha is able to narrate a story, and is much more compact in design and it is made out of used materials. On the other hand, such kanthas may pass as art works, but its market value is difficult to determine. Kanthas which are made for the commercial purposes, out of new materials and by the trained artists have very well defined price range depending on the material used, the execution of the design and the total labor hour devoted in making it.

One who wants to practice the art of kantha making in the U.S.A. may face certain difficulties. There is a dearth of used materials like sari borders, used dhotis, cotton and silk saris. Kantha makers can use all new materials to create beautiful tapestries, but it would not be the same. The time consuming work of pointillism is another obstacle the kantha maker has tackle in this fast paced life of America, where outside help for daily household work is very expensive and hence almost nonexistent. In spite of all these obstacles, kantha making is very rewarding. The concentration and contemplation that is required in building the harmony in color, design and execution is akin to the spiritual exercises. The kantha maker has to put all her energies into a single basket of mind and execute the design. At the end the kantha means more to the maker than to the viewer. Hence it is a lonely art and is totally bound by the whims of the artist. The second difficulty is the absence of a guild of Bengal kantha makers in the U.S.A. The present author hopes that there would be a time when the Bengal kantha makers would join the American quilt makers in formulating new designs and create new specimen of static beauty which would be joy for ever.

Niaz Zaman, The Art of Kantha Embroidery (Dhaka: The University Press)

Kaviraj Krisnadas, Sri Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita (Calcutta: Dev Sahitya Kutir)